How Dual Enrollment Helped Ashia Ramos Shape Her Career
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
At one point, Ashia Ramos thought skin would be a future in her dream career as a dermatologist. Then she made a slight pivot to medical sales.
Today, she spends her days building relationships with schools, businesses and community organizations for her family’s Nothing Bundt Cakes bakeries. Somewhere between those plans, she earned an associate degree through Rio Salado while still in high school and arrived at ASU with 63 college credits.
A student at Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, Ramos first learned about Rio Salado College’s dual enrollment program from her high school counselor.
“She made it easy for my family and I to understand that not only can you get credit for high school but also to transfer into college,” Ramos said. “I was so thankful because I was approaching the time where I needed to start making decisions on what I was going to do with my life.”
Ramos began taking dual enrollment classes in her sophomore year, and even took classes during summers to get ahead.
“I’ve had a great experience at Rio Salado, especially with the flexibility it offers,” she said. “The teachers and faculty were great, and always responded to my questions quickly.”
Some people questioned the decision, wondering if Ramos would miss out on the traditional college experience.
“They thought I was not going to get the full college experience by not living on campus and staying in the dorms,” she said. “Why would I want to continue two more years if I didn’t have to? Plus, the cost on top of that.”
In 2021, while she was in high school, Ramos’ parents purchased their first Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise in the Phoenix area. Ramos was beginning to think seriously about college and her career options while watching her family build a business.
By the time Ramos graduated high school in 2023, she had her sights set on a science degree and was able to enroll into university with 63 college credits.
“When I transferred to ASU, my counselor told me she had never seen somebody come in with that many credits,” Ramos said.
Finding an Unexpected Path
With plans of a career in healthcare in hand, Ramos earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a biomedical focus and a minor in business from ASU. She graduated in December 2025, and began looking for medical sales jobs.
“I don’t know if it’s the state of the world or if it has always been that way with medical sales, but I couldn’t get in,” Ramos said. “It wasn’t who you are and what you know. I think I was seen as a less competitive candidate because I didn’t do any internships in college.”
A few months later, in February 2026, an opportunity for Ramos emerged within her family’s business.
Ramos’ parents, who now owned three Nothing Bundt Cake bakeries, created a community sales manager position to expand the business’s outreach and marketing efforts.
“I had to start at the bottom from scratch,” Ramos said. “I hadn’t done a lot of marketing before and I had to learn social media.”
Since starting the position, Ramos has introduced offsite events to boost community engagement and developed partnerships with local schools, businesses, nonprofits, and other community organizations.
The work has taken her outside the bakery and into the community, where she participates in school and nonprofit events, fundraisers, community festivals, donation drives and other activities. The bakeries have donated hundreds of cakes to school staff and are launching “Bundts and Books,” a reading incentive program for elementary, middle and high school students, as well as school attendance initiatives.
“Honestly, when I stepped into this role, I didn’t know what I was doing or what could happen,” Ramos said. “Today, it’s blossomed into something that is much deeper than cake.”
For Ramos, community outreach has become about finding ways the bakeries can make a meaningful local impact, whether supporting food drives, rewarding students for positive achievements, or simply giving families something to celebrate.
“When I am off site at events or fundraisers and engaging the community, seeing people’s smiles and joy brings me so much fulfillment,” she said.
Looking back, Ramos sees her early start at Rio as an important part of the journey that brought her here.
“I don’t think I would be where I am today if I didn’t take dual enrollment classes,” Ramos said. “Dual enrollment helped speed things up and set my path where I am with the family business.”
Her experience has also shaped the advice she gives to current dual enrollment students.
“It can get very stressful sometimes in day-to-day life, but you also have assignments due, so prioritize your time management,” she said.
As for what comes next, Ramos isn’t sure. She understands the importance of her role in the family business, but she also has ambitions of her own.
“This is a family business and I ultimately want to try my own thing, too,” she said. “But who knows? Maybe this was always meant to be.”